Tourism in Tulum

Tulum is a town in the Quintana Roo region of Mexico which attracts people from all over the world for its pristine beaches, Mayan ruins, as well as the unique Cenotes.The amazing landscape combined with friendly locals in a relatively safe area is undoubtedly the reason this area saw almost 10 million tourists in 2016 alone (as reported by the Yucatan Times.) Large volumes of high-budget vacationers visiting have increased the price tag attached to traveling this area of Mexico.
Luckily, Tulum is the backpacker hideaway with a central location to explore all nearby attractions while offering budget accommodation and food options everywhere!Tulum is about 3 hours driving from Cancun or about 1 hour from Playa del Carmen. It is the least touristic of the three while still being in the thick of all of the “must see” attractions of the Quintana Roo. Cancun is perfect for all-inclusive hotels and Las Vegas-style nightlife while Playa del Carmen is on a smaller scale but poses as a tourist shopping haven.When I was in Tulum I was surprised by the local charm still present there. While tourists were around (more so during the daytime due to day-trippers) the town still had lots of local restaurants and shops.

Is Tulum cheap?

The oh so common question on everybody’s mind…is Tulum cheap?
In short, no. Tulum isn’t “cheap” per say, but it is affordable for backpackers especially if you are budget conscious.For $5 USD you can get yourself a centrally located hostel with air conditioning and breakfast. Then for $2 USD, you can get a collective to basically anywhere you would want to go around the area. A huge street food meal of tacos can be found for less than $3 USD and a beer goes for about $1 USD.
Tulum is definitely the best choice for a place to stay while exploring the Quintana Roo while staying on budget (read further for my “Tulum on a Budget Tips”).

Cenotes are one of the main attractions in Tulum

Getting to Tulum on a budget

From Caye Caulker, Belize

After taking the ferry back to Belize City there are tourist buses going straight to Tulum at 11 am and 1 pm but they are VERY expensive (about $40 USD.) A cheaper option is to get the expensive bus to Chetumal, Mexico only. There, you can get the Mayab bus to Tulum for a fraction of the price.
Doing the journey this way will cost about $20 USD total. It will take about 9 hours by bus to get from Belize City to Tulum including the border crossing.

From anywhere in Mexico

The most expensive bus is the ADO bus company which is also the quickest and most comfortable with a bathroom on board. Head to the ADO bus station and ask how much and how long to Tulum from wherever you are, these guys are helpful and many even speak English!
If you want to save a few dollars ask for the Mayab or Oriente buses (second-class buses.) These will typically be 1/3 of the ADO bus price and also leave from the ADO bus station. Just be aware that sometimes the people selling the tickets only want to sell you the expensive ticket (because you’re a tourist) so be persistent or just ask a bus driver directly for information.
The second-class buses don’t have a bathroom on board and can sometimes fill up with more people than seats but overall they are decent buses, some even have air conditioning.

Getting around Tulum and area on a budget

In terms of things to do in the actual town of Tulum, it is pretty limited to eating and shopping. The point of Tulum is that it is a great central location to begin exploring the amazing attractions the area offers.When I arrived the first question I had was “how do I get to all of these places?” There are a couple of ways to get around depending on your preferences. Taxi’s or organized tours are two options but these are the most expensive so for the sake of this guide I will focus on the budget-friendly options.

Option 1: The most fun

Rent a car and drive anywhere your heart desires whenever you want!
A car rental for 24 hours will cost about 40 USD. Keep in mind that you will pay for fuel on top of that and even a couple of dollars here and there for parking. This is a decent budget option if you have a group of people splitting the costs.

Option 2: The most affordable

Catch the local “Collectivos” which are essentially just minivans which run on direct routes and will stop for anybody anywhere along the route. They run regularly and the price depends on how far you go but it is usually just a couple of dollars.
There are Collectivos which run along the main highway from Tulum all the way to Cancun. Most of the attractions I will mention below will be accessible by this Collectivo.
Simply wave down the Collectivo on the correct side of the road (the direction in which you want to travel.) Jump on and tell the driver where you want to go. He will tell you when you are there and tell you the price (they have a set pricing chart so don’t worry about getting ripped off.)

What to Do in Tulum for Backpackers

Go to the Beach

The town of Tulum isn’t right on the beach, the closest beach it is about one hour by walking or 20 minutes by bike (expect to pay about $4 USD for a bike for the day.) We didn’t actually check out this beach but we heard it was nice and easy to get to with not too many tourists around.
However, if you are looking to explore more iconic beaches there are two great options I would highly recommend.The first is Akumal Beach which is famous for the turtles there which you can snorkel with! This beach is only about 20 minutes drive from Tulum and accessible by Collectivo. Akumal Beach can be busy at peak season times but is well worth a visit especially if you haven’t snorkeled with massive wild turtles before.Xcacel is another beautiful beach and when we went there it was empty – we literally had the turquoise ocean all to ourselves! It is also accessible by Collectivo and has a $3 USD entrance fee. The cool thing about this beach is that there is also a Cenote only one minute walk from the ocean which you can explore for free! We spent half a day here and it was gorgeous and cheap, I would highly recommend this as a great day trip.We had Xcacel beach completely to ourselves!

Explore Cenotes

One of the most famous things to do in the Yucatan Penninsula is exploring the Cenotes which are literally everywhere! There are just too many to see them all – so you must choose wisely which ones to check out. Definitely ask around for other peoples’ recommendations but I will tell you about the ones we chose to visit.

Dos Ojos

This Cenote is a complex underwater cave system. From land, it actually seems like two different Cenotes as they connect underwater.Dos Ojos’ entrance gates are easy to get to by Collectivo (only 20 minutes from Tulum.) Once at the entrance gate, it is another 2 km walk to the actual cenotes. It is also possible to hitchhike this 2 km.
Dos Ojos Cenotes cost 350 pesos entrance fee which is one of the pricier cenote fees. However, if you have never seen a cave with bright blue water before then definitely check this one out regardless of the price.Snorkeling in Dos Ojos Cenote

Gran Cenote

This Cenote is very different than Dos Ojos as it is less of a cave and has much more greenery. Imagine mangroves and a massive freshwater swimming pool.
Gran Cenote is popular for snorkeling and the best part is that it is accessible by a short bike ride from Tulum (or a couple dollar taxi ride.)
The entrance fee for Gran Cenote is 100 pesos per person.

Cenote Calavera

This cenote would be my favorite! It is even on the way from Tulum to Gran Cenote.Cenote Calavera is also 100 pesos entrance fee per person but is typically much less busy and is more of what people typically imagine when they think of Cenotes – a big hole in the earth with a swimming pool.
If you are in Tulum on a budget and can only afford to explore one Cenote, I would recommend Cenote Calavera!Calavera Cenote!
There are dozens of more cenotes to explore. For more details on the Cenotes around Tulum check out our friend’s article from Best Cenote Dives here.

Scuba Dive in Cenotes

If you are visiting Tulum on a budget then scuba diving is the one things you might have to skip – but if you can afford it and you like to scuba dive then you must do it!
Diving in a couple of cenotes is a once in a lifetime experience. This was something I had been looking forward to for weeks! We have done a few ocean dives in the Caribbean already on this trip, but I was excited about something different – and it sure was different!
We first dove the Casa Cenote which was really neat because you literally dive underneath mangroves. When I looked up I could see all of the roots of the trees. This was a good dive to start with because although there were some covered areas there were many openings allowing lots of light in and easy access to the surface if needed.Diving under the mangroves in Casa Cenote
The next cenote we dove was Calavera which was completely opposite of Casa Cenote. Calavera Cenote was all cave diving around the large opening of the cenote. We saw lots of white rock formations. There was also a false surface effect that is made where the fresh water meets the salt water.
This dive was a little bit more intimidating at first as we needed our flashlights the entire time and involved swimming in between some smaller spaces, but it made for a very exciting dive.Diving in the cenote caves
We went diving with the company called Best Cenote Dives and they were great! Our instructor, Dominic (also the owner), was friendly, spoke English as a first language, and was lots of fun. Not to mention the gear was in great shape and the day went smoothly from beginning to end. We like to support these smaller companies who truly take pride in their work and have a passion for scuba diving which is very apparent.

Our scuba instructor was also a great photographer! The light from the cenote shining though was so cool!

Visit the Coba Ruins

I have been to the Coba Ruins a couple of years ago on a previous visit to Tulum so this time it was a miss. However, many backpackers are making the trip to check out these ruins especially since they are closer and cheaper than visiting the famous Chichen Itza.
The Coba ruins are about 40 minutes away from Tulum by car or bus (ADO or Collectivos go there regularly.)The entry fee is only 65 pesos making it a very good choice for an activity in Tulum on a budget.

Eat Street Food

Eating in Tulum on a budget is easy as there are so many affordable options!
We found lots of great tasting, yet cheap, street food in Tulum. One of our favorites was also a local favorite called El Pastor, which are essentially pork filled soft tacos. Usually, you get about 5 small tacos for 3 USD and it is more than enough for one person. Street food is the best way to eat in Tulum on a budget.
Tulum is also a common place for festivals and celebrations, which in Mexico, means food and lots of it! While we were in Tulum there was a celebration in the main square. There was everything from pizza to corn dogs to crepes to nachos available for sale for a couple of dollars.
Talking to other travelers I have realized that these festivals are very common in Tulum. So, if you are there for a couple of nights it is likely that you will find yourself one and be able to indulge in some celebratory street food.
There are also lots of local restaurants where large Mexican meals are prepared for only a couple of dollars. One that is very popular among locals is called La Picadita Jarocha. The meals range from $2-5 USD and include a massive natural fruit juice.Yummy Mexican tacos!

Tulum on a Budget Random Tips

-Stay in a hostel with a kitchen. Although street food is cheap, cooking for yourself is always cheaper.-Carry your own snorkel gear. Snorkel gear can be rented at most beaches or cenotes. However, the rental fee will cost about the same as just buying your own set in the town of Tulum.-Pack bagged lunches for your day trips as the restaurants near the attractions are expensive.-Book a hostel that offers free water. With the humidity of Mexico, you could easily drink $5 USD worth of water per day.-Travel in low season. Prices can double (sometimes triple) in high season. High season usually is the months of November to February. Although the weather tends to be best in these months a strict budget is better suited to wet season travel.

Hopefully, this guide to Tulum on a budget is useful and inspires you to check out one of Mexico’s most beautiful regions! We had some really great times in and around Tulum.
We would encourage anyone to visit Tulum on a budget – and when you do, let us know if you have any other tips to add below!Traveling more in Mexico? Maybe you’ll find some of our other travel guides helpful too!

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The Faces of Destinationless Travel

We are Dan and Bailey, just your typical thrill-seeking travelers! You will likely find us hiking, scuba diving, catching public transport, or just drinking beer at a hostel. Our motto is "you can't get lost if you don't have a destination" and that's why we call our blog Destinationless Travel! Cheers for joining us on our adventures!